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Cider Digest #1851
Subject: Cider Digest #1851, 9 February 2014
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1851 9 February 2014
Cider and Perry Discussion Forum
Contents:
Cider Digest (Bear Swamp Orchard)
Re: the Grow Organic Apples site (Claude Jolicoeur)
Cider press comparisons ("Meadowlark Farm")
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Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn
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Subject: Cider Digest
From: Bear Swamp Orchard <apples@bearswamporchard.com>
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2014 21:29:34 -0500
Subject: Re: Wild apple cider variety (ethan hohnke)
From: Andy Crown Brennan <CROWNARTS@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 09:52:50 -0500
To Andy Brennan's post on wild apples:
I totally agree that there is a lot to be learned from thinking about
the apple trees' role in a wild system. As apples evolved in a forest
setting in Kazakhstan, I look at those forests as a model. The apple
trees in the Kazak forests do share the forest with lots of other plants
and other creatures, and undoubtedly benefit from many partnerships
there, but they are canopy trees so they need sun. If we can set up
fungal soil ecosystems with plenty of sun and don't overfertilize, we
provide a lot of what the ancestral trees experience, and hopefully
encourage fruit that reaches the potential of what the variety can
provide. Complexity of phytochemicals and other nutrients is certainly
encouraged when plants have to protect themselves from pests and
diseases, as in a wild system.
However, I think comparing apple genetics to dog breeding is a bit
misleading. Surprisingly (or maybe not so), there is still an incredible
amount of genetic diversity even in our seemingly over bred modern
cultivars. I can look around our own orchard at the wild seedlings that
have come up (which are likely offspring of cultivated varieties) and
see incredible variation is size, color, and content of tannins, acids,
and sugars. Because apple varieties are grafted, one variety is like one
individual in dog breeding. So, if you trace the lineage of any
cultivated variety, it is relatively few steps back to a wild ancestor.
This means that there is still a huge amount of diversity in apple
genetics relative to other cultivated creatures (crops or domestic
animals). So a lot of wild traits crop up in a single generation, when
breeding two cultivated varieties.
As organic growers, we find that organic or untended apple trees tend to
have more diversity in flavor than conventionally grown apples of the
same variety, and they have the slow-to-ferment quality of a wild apples
which may be a result of low nitrogen input. Organically grown or
untended apples of any variety must protect themselves from pest and
disease, just like a wild apple, which is presumably why organic produce
tends to be higher in the protective phytochemicals. So there is a wider
range of growing practices that allows for higher nutritional diversity
than simply relying on wild forest apples.
Along with Andy, we love that we can't control all aspects of apple
growing, fermenting, and aging. Every year is a new adventure, as we
find out what nature has produced and adopt it as our own.
Steve & Jen
Bear Swamp Orchard & Cidery
Jennifer Williams & Steve Gougeon
Ashfield, MA
email- apples@bearswamporchard.com
www.bearswamporchard.com
Follow us on FACEBOOK
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Subject: Re: the Grow Organic Apples site
From: Claude Jolicoeur <cjoliprsf@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 23:12:09 -0500
In Cider Digest #1850, 6 February 2014
>Subject: the Grow Organic Apples site
>From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
>
>I've only recently become aware of the Grow Organic Apples web site and
>project. See
>http://www.groworganicapples.com
>This is an effort led by Michael Phillips--orchardist and writer.
Yes, there is good stuff there, and it is a formula where posts stay
visible for a long time - a reply may easily be made a year after the
initial post! Quite different dynamics from this Digest or the Cider
Workshop which tend to be rapid question/answer, then we forget about
the post...
And, Dick, you could have added that we are a group of cider
afficionados there, so this is not only about standard apples! There
is a lot of interest about cider within apple growers, and mostly
organic ones, as cider is a very wise companion to organic apple
growing, knowing it is impossible to attain 90% marketable apples
from organic production.
Michael also hosts an annual meeting in March, where about 25 growers
meet in western Mass to discuss all sort of issues relating to
organic growing of apples. I was there last year, and was quite
amazed to see more than half of the growers there were either
alreader into cider or very seriously considering it - there is a lot
of interest there!
Claude
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Subject: Cider press comparisons
From: "Meadowlark Farm" <themeadowlarkfarm@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2014 00:21:00 -0600
We plan on gradually expanding our peach/apple/pumpkin patch farm business
into hard cider production and sales as well. I would like to learn more
about the relative merits of the various kinds of equipment for cider
production; especially the mills and presses. Specifically how do the
various traditional rack and cloth, the newer presses with horizontal
pressure and then the belt presses compare with each other? For the
purposes of my business, I don't foresee needing juice production of more
than 100gal/hour.
Since I am looking to purchase equipment I am interested in experiences and
recommendations from cidermakers on specific equipment that is on the
market. I am really interested in seeing how each of these systems perform
in terms of labor costs, juice quality, cleanability and recurring costs of
operation/maintenance.
Any help or guidance you can provide will be much appreciated!
Tom Brown
Meadowlark Farm, LLC
Mailing Address: 4005 E. Lewis St. Wichita, KS, 67218
Farm Address: 11249 SW 160th St. Rose Hill Kansas 67133
cell: (316) 518-8907
landline: (316) 684-3807
skype: zeraat
https://www.facebook.com/MeadowlarkFarm
"Fiat Fructus!"
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End of Cider Digest #1851
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